REIVEW OF YOUTHS' DEATHS CAN HELP SAVE LIVES IN FUTURE

When a child dies, people want answers. Helping to find those answers is the Cape Girardeau County Child Fatality Review Panel. The 21-member panel examines any suspicious or unexplained death of a child under the age of 18.

The panel's mission isn't one of finger-pointing. The focus is to discover why children die in this area and to help prevent future incidents. The task, in essence, is about keeping children alive. It is this stance that makes the local panel all the more valuable to both parents and the county at large.

Cape Girardeau County isn't alone in this mission. These panels have been established in every county of the state, mandated by a state law signed in 1991. Missouri was the first state to establish such panels. The impetus was a statewide report that found that a significant number of child deaths were not being accurately reported -- or investigated -- in Missouri.

During 1995, a total of 1,232 children died in Missouri. The majority of cases had a clear and nonsuspicious cause of death. But about 80 of the cases were ruled homicides. Another 42 died in Missouri in 1995 due to abuse or neglect.

Cape Girardeau County saw 16 child deaths in 1995, four of which were reviewed by the panel. The panel doesn't meet when it is obvious a child dies of natural causes.

The members of the panel represent a broad cross section of helping professions: prosecuting attorney, coroner, doctors, nurses, investigators, health department officials, Division of Family Services personnel, police officers and a paramedic. All volunteer their time on the panel. Members approach the job seriously and discreetly.

The panel has the discretion to review any child death in the county. The members are typically convened in cases that involve possible inadequate supervision, possible suicide, possible inflicted injury, any firearm injury, death due to confinement, suffocation or strangulation, and death due to any fire injury.

This Child Fatality Review Panel works quietly behind the scenes -- uncovering reasons why children die, and working to educate the public about dangers our youngsters face. It is hard to understand the death of a child. But citizens can take comfort in the fact that this panel will help ensure that a wrongful death of a child will not go undetected.